Embodiments of this disclosure relate generally to a pressure vessel, and more particularly, to continuous sidewall pressure vessel for use as a spacecraft structure that allows for the transfer of loads to the outboard sidewalls.
In a typical spacecraft such as those used in Apollo program, the spacecraft was made up of multiple units or stages that worked together to perform the desired mission. The main components of the spacecraft were, from top to bottom, the launch escape system, the crew/command module, the service module, the lunar module, and the lunar module adapter. These stages together would sit atop a launch vehicle.
The crew/command module was the control center for the spacecraft and living quarters for the crew. It generally contains the pressurized main crew cabin and the control and instrument panels. The crew/command module is structurally joined to the service module. The service module is a portion of the spacecraft that was unpressurized and contained fuel cells, batteries, high gain antenna, radiators, water, oxygen, hydrogen, reaction control system and propellant to enter and leave lunar orbit, and service the propulsion systems. The service module is structurally joined to a launch vehicle via an adapter.
Due to packaging and geometry constraints, the typical crew/command module places a large volume of equipment on the outer perimeter, near the maximum diameter of the crew/command module. The launch vehicle and service module must transmit loads to the crew/command module by pushing on some part of the crew/command module structure, and may transmit loads either near the perimeter or more near the center. A basic problem of typical spacecraft configuration is that once the equipment is located near the perimeter, the structure for load transfer, compression pads, must be relocated more near the center of the crew/command module. When the compression pads are offset closer to the center of the crew/command module, then the primary load pathway follows a zig-zag pattern which is less efficient. The zig-zag patterns are necessary to avoid direct load transfers onto the equipment. This is necessary since the equipment may be damaged by direct load transfers.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus and method that overcomes the above problems. The apparatus and method allows the launch vehicle to transmit loads near the perimeter of the crew/command module, while equipment is concurrently located near the perimeter of the crew/command module.